Purpose: To help the Hulk recover from
the mental damage which occurred when Bruce Banners persona
had presumably sacrificed itself rather than share existence with
the Hulk (we now know Banners persona was not completely
destroyed, only deeply submerged)

Affiliations: Allies of the Hulk

Base of Operations: Formerly The
Crossroads, presumed to currently be residing in the psyche of
the Hulk.

First Appearance: Incredible Hulk II#308 (June, 1985)

History: When the Hulk was banished to
the Crossroads by Doctor Strange, he came in contact with another
banished being; The Puffball Collective. Bruce Banner's persona
had been almost completely submerged (at the time believed dead),
and mentally the Hulk was little more than an animal, completely
incapable of speech or complex thought. Hoping to use the Hulk to
further his own ends, the Puffball Collective continually probed
the Hulk's mind in an effort to rekindle at least some of the
Bruce Banners former intelligence. The Collective succeeded
in unlocking some of the Hulk's former persona, rendering him
once again capable of simple, monosyllabic speech, and he also
unintentionally brought about the creation of The Triad; a
triumvirate of creatures which respectively personified the
Hulk's sense of survival (Guardian), reason (Glow), and rage
(Goblin). Once the Hulk returned to Earth, The Triad was never
seen in the physical world again. However, since they claimed to
be personifications of different parts of the Hulk, it is more
than possible that they still existin some forminside
the Hulk's psyche. In fact this is more than likely considering
that very clear references were made to The Triad during Doc
Samson's hypnotic session with Bruce Banner that resulted in the
creation of the so-called "Professor" or
"Merged" Hulk.

(Incredible Hulk II#308) - Finally managing to cause some of
Bruce Banners intelligence to resurface within the
Hulks cluttered mind, the Puffball Collective tricked the
Hulk into smashing through the barriers of the Demon World of the
NGarai. The Puffball Collective had been cast out of this
world for freeing the Demons of NGarai, and the portal to
the world had been sealed shut in order to protect other realms
from the demons wrath.

Upon entering the world, the Collective feigned
surprised at the destruction the demons had caused. He bid the
Hulk rest, and transported away as the Hulk drifted to sleep in a
nearby outcropping of rock. As the Collective left, the Triad
appeared. They were able to see the Collectives treason,
and Guardian fired an arrow into the Hulk in order to wake him.
As soon as the Hulk awoke, one of the powerful Demons attacked,
tearing at his flesh. Knowing the Hulks only chance for
survival was the strength that came with his rage, Guardian fired
another arrow at the fresh claw-marks on the Hulks chest,
hoping to grab the goliaths attention. The Hulk spotted the
wounds, and roared in anger. Eventually, the Hulk was able to
temporarily stun the demon. Believing the demon to be defeated,
the green goliath turned away from it and began to walk away,
grieving the loss of his "friend" (the Collective had
promised to watch over the Hulk as he slept, the fact that the
Collective was nowhere in sight made the Hulk believe he was
dead). The demon surprised the Hulk from behind, inflicting heavy
wounds on him.

Eventually, the demons attack stopped,
and the Hulk rose to find an entire horde of the beasts
surrounding him with the Puffball Collective. The Collective
gloated to the Hulk about how he had fooled him, how he had in
fact been the instrument of the demons release upon this
world, how he planned to set them loose on all the worlds of the
Crossroads, and finally how their first order of business was to
finish off the Hulk. Once the Collectives tirade was over,
the Triad appeared again. At first, Goblin urged the Hulk on to
fight, but soon all three were voicing the hopes that the Hulk
would flee. This discussion seemed to affect the Hulk. Instead of
fighting, he leapt away in search of the portal that lead back to
the Crossroads. The Triad expressed their surprise at this, and
disappeared in a flash of light. The Hulk eventually stopped
leaping, remembering how he had been teleported out of worlds in
the past when he had become unhappy with them (via Doctor
Stranges failsafe spell which the sorcerer include in his
original spell to banish the Hulk). For the first time, he
consciously triggered the failsafe spell, and quickly shut the
portal to the Demon World of the NGarai. The
Collectives screams were heard from the other side as the
demons rent him apart. As the Hulk grieved for the loss of yet
another friend (he had made and a few friends and lost them all
during his adventures in the Crossroads), the Triad appeared
again, promising the Hulk that he would never be alone, that they
would always be with him.

(Incredible Hulk II#309) - As the bewildered Hulk regarded the
three strange beings, oblivious of whom they were, the Triad
argued over how to best help the Hulk. While Guardian and Glow
were committed to helping the Hulk regain his intelligence,
Goblin believed the Hulk would be happier as a
"savage." Putting Goblins fears aside, Guardian
fired an arrow at the Hulk. Not realizing the arrows
purpose, the Hulk raised his hand to block it. The arrow was
incorporeal however, and passed through the Hulks hand. As
the arrow pierced the goliaths forehead, the Hulk was
subjected to the memories of his existence on Earth, his
co-existence with Bruce Banner, and how he had come to the
Crossroads. Guardian gently closed the Hulks eyelids,
bidding him to rest. While Guardian and Glow both agreed it was
paramount to help the Hulk rekindle his intelligence, Guardian
feared overloading the Hulks psyche. Goblin complained that
if they were to succeed in digging up the Hulks persona,
the three of them would no longer exist in the physical world
since their purpose would be fulfilled. Guardian scolded Goblin
for his selfishness, but was only able to sway Goblin to her side
when she pointed out that if the Hulks lack of intelligence
were to cause his demise, the Triad would die with him anyway.
Ignoring more objections from Goblin, the Triad followed the Hulk
into one of the countless portals of the Crossroads. They emerged
in a windswept desert world, scattered with massive rock
formations.

As the Triad argued over whether or not the
Hulk should stay on the seemingly barren world (Guardian and Glow
were against the idea, while Goblin goaded the Hulk to explore
the place), the Hulk leapt away, plowing through the pillar-like
rock formations that jutted from the desert landscape. The Triad
disappeared from where they had entered the world, and reappeared
in the landing spot of one of the Hulks leaps. At first,
all three did their best to dissuade him from going any further.
Once the Hulk leapt away once more, Guardian assured the others
that they should have faith in him follow.

After
an undisclosed amount of time, the Hulk and his new companions
were on the verge of collapse, dehydrated and thirsting
desperately for water. Eventually, they thought they had come
upon a pool of water, but Goblin found out to his dismay (with a
mouthful of sand) that it was only a mirage. As they spotted a
sandstorm rising, all three of the Hulks new
"friends" begged him to trigger the failsafe spell that
would take them back to the Crossroads. The Hulk refused, and
stood firm in the wake of the sandstorm, shielding the other
three from it and nearly burying himself in the process. As the
Triad rejoiced over the Hulks actions, Goblin climbed over
a sand dune and spotted an oasis; a half-dozen fruit-bearing
trees surrounded a clear pool of water. As the Triad celebrated,
the Hulk simply smiled.

(Incredible Hulk II#310) - The Triad followed the Hulk the
length of the desert, only to find a vast swamp. While trudging
through the swamplands, the Triad discussed the Hulks
"uncharacteristic" behavior. Goblin believed that
Hulks slowly increasing intelligence had nothing to do with
the re-emergence of Banners persona, but that his
experiences in the Crossroads had forced him to learn to survive
independent of Banner; that the Hulk they now traversed the swamp
with was actually a "new" Hulk, capable of thought
without Banners influence. Glow assured Guardian that
Goblins opinion had merit, and theorized that perhaps the
Triad was not actually in existence to necessarily help the Hulk,
but rather a fragment of Banners persona which was
rebelling against the emergence of this "new Hulk."

None of them had much time to postulate, for
the swamp soon opened to a plain featuring a massive, walled
citadel. As the four of them looked down upon the plain, a
procession of robed men led a cart to the gates of the citadel: a
robed, wrist-bound figure standing in the cart. The Hulk grew
steadily angrier as the Triad bickered among themselves. Glow
simply observed, while Guardian demanded caution and Goblin
assured all of them that the bound figure was a human sacrifice.
The robed men led their prisoner down from the cart and rang
ceremonial bells that hung from their staffs. They disrobed the
prisoner, revealing a beautiful, yellow-skinned woman. As one of
the robed men stood behind the woman and raised a sword, none of
the Triad could deny that Goblin was right: it was a sacrifice.
Before the blow could be struck, the Hulk leapt from his hiding
place, smashing the mans sword with his fist. Suddenly, the
gates of the citadel sprung open and a horde of skeletal warriors
armed with poison scythes charged forth on horned steeds, killing
the orange-skinned men who had brought the sacrifice. As the Hulk
plowed into the warriors, the Triad followed. Goblin perched
himself on the Hulks back and goaded him on. Fearful of the
skeletal warriors poisoned weapons, Guardian let loose an
"arrow of reason," in order the make the Hulk aware of
the danger. Goblin lunged at the arrow to stop it, and as it
passed through him he collapsed, claiming he was poisoned. As the
arrow struck the Hulk, he realized he didnt know where the
yellow-skinned woman had gone. As he looked around for her, he
was suddenly able to speak normally, as Banner would have. He
spotted the woman being spirited off by one of the warriors, but
before he could pursue, another warrior struck him from behind.
The poison triggered the Hulks transformation, and a
confused Bruce Banner appeared before the Triad. Glow theorized
that the poisoned blade had killed the "new Hulk" they
had believed the goliath had become earlier, which is why
Banners submerged persona had suddenly been released.
Banner begged the Triad for help, but while they offered him
advice, his appearance caused the three of them to disappear.
Banner collapsed on the ground and was carried away by the
skeletal warriors.

(Incredible Hulk II#311) - With the disappearance of the
Triad, Banner found himself in a precarious situation. He awoke
tied to a stone slab. The yellow-skinned woman who the Hulk had
tried to save stood over him, a knife in hand. Dr. Daniel Decyst,
the "master" of the Citadel. Decyst had Banner freed
and showed him to his laboratory.

Decyst revealed a dark secret to Banner. Decyst
was a Scottish alchemist who had accidentally transported himself
to this world while using the mystic arts to try to find the key
to immortal life. For over two hundred years, Decyst had been
using alien blood from the natives (who believed Decyst to be a
god) to prolong his life. Now that he had seen the Hulk in
action, Decyst believed Banners alter ego could provide him
with the key to immortality. Disgusted, Banner ran from the
alchemists laboratory and desperately sought an escape from
the citadel. Meanwhile, having learned of Decysts secret,
the yellow-skinned woman snuck up behind Decyst and stabbed him
in the back.

As Decysts skeletal guards closed in on
Banner, his fear triggered his change into the Hulk. As the Hulk
appeared, so did the Triad. Once again, Goblin goaded the Hulk
into battle with the skeletal warriors. The Hulk tore into them,
faring better now that they were inside and the warriors were
deprived of their steeds. Still, Guardian and Glow feared for the
Hulks safety. Guardian once again let fly her "arrow
of reason," and as it struck the Hulk, the green goliath
realized that the purpose of his battle was gone, since he could
no longer find the woman he had tried to save. As he leapt away
from the citadel, the failsafe spell triggered the Hulks
transportation back to the Crossroads with the Triad in tow.

(Incredible Hulk II#312 (fb) ) - Bruce Banners origin was re-told, this time
including the true origin of Banners rage: his mentally
unstable, abusive father. Each member of the Triad appeared
throughout the origin. Glow appeared as both a childs toy
over Banners crib and the star on his family Christmas
tree. Goblin appeared as many of the people who had tormented
Bruce in his life, such as an angry, rude babysitter, his abusive
father, and even Thunderbolt Ross. Guardian appeared as a
childs toy which Banner clung to always as a child (in
fact, the child Banner actually calls the toy
"Guardian"), even keeping it in his office when he went
to work for the Gamma Bomb Project. It was not made clear if the
Triad appeared in these thoughts because they had appeared in the
physical world recently, or if their presence in the
Banners memories are what caused the Triad to appear as
they appeared (i.e., did Guardian show up as Banners toy in
his memories because of The Triads recent influence on
Banner, or did Banner actually have a toy that looked like
Guardian when he was a child?).

After the origin was told, the Triad assured
the Hulk they would always be with him to help him overcome
whatever he might face in the future, and disappeared.

(Incredible Hulk II#377) - During Doc Samsons hypnotic
session with Bruce Banner which eventually caused the so-called
"Professor" Hulk to gain dominance of his other
personalities, Banner relives his memories of the beating he
received from his father one Christmas (it is, in fact, the exact
scene from Incredible Hulk II#312). The Guardian toy fell from the Christmas
box as his father approached, just as it did in Incredible Hulk II#312. None
of the other Triad members were seen.

I want to clarify one thing about my
description of Incredible Hulk II#377. I do NOT agree with Paul Jenkinss
interpretation of the Merged Hulk actually being a separate
personality rather than a merging of Banners different
parts. However, I bowed to this interpretation in the description
for the sake of continuity.--I'm with Mick...It's a shame that to use a ret-con to take
away from such great stories--Snood.

The Triad should not be considered separate
beings from the Hulk. While they speak to him as if they were
separate, they are simply parts of the whole. In fact, there are
a number of instances where members of the Triad start a
sentence, and the Hulk will finish it.

Per Degaton pointed out a Triad appearance in the Ultimate Hulk novel:
During his ventures through the Crossroads pace
Hulk I#300 et al., the Hulk landed on a world where he
experienced illusions of the Rhino, the Abomination,
the Leader, and possibly others. His Triad including
Goblin managed to pull him out of the hallucinations.
Continuity unknown, but it happened at some point after Incredible Hulk II#308 (because before that the Triad didn't exist)--Markus Raymond

Glow: Glow represents Bruce
Banners sense of reason. It is possible that his star-like
shape was formed from Banners memories of a toy that hung
above his bed as a child and/or the star which topped his
Christmas tree on one of the any occasions his father beat Bruce
and his mother. He (or, more appropriately, It) seems incapable
of any physical action other than glowing and floating above the
ground. Glow never surrenders to emotion, but will usually delve
into analysis when any situation arises.

Goblin: Goblin represents Banners
repressed rage. He is often goading the Hulk into trouble, and
readers may recognize his speech pattern as being very similar to
the gray or so-called "Joe Fixit" Hulk.

Guardian: Guardian is the most loving
and protective of the Triad towards the Hulk. She is often doing
whatever she can to spirit the Hulk away from potential danger,
which brings her in constant conflict with Goblin. Her arrows
apparently have no physical affect on anyone other than the Hulk,
though they do have varied affects on the green goliath himself.
Her arrows have had the ability to wake the Hulk from sleep,
instill Bruce Banners reason upon the Hulk, or even to
simply grab his attention. It is possible that Guardians
physical form was taken from Banners memories of a
childhood toy.